25 Beached Whales Return to Sea; 4 Die
Twenty-five pilot whales beached on Cape Cod were returned to the sea Tuesday by human rescuers, but four other whales died.
Scientists said it was too soon for a prognosis on the survivors, which had been weakened by hours of not having their bulk supported by water.
“Right now, it’s anybody’s guess,” said Gregg Early, director of the marine mammal rescue and rehabilitation program at the New England Aquarium in Boston.
The whales were discovered at low tide Tuesday in Chipman Cove, an inlet at the end of Wellfleet Harbor, inside the arm of Cape Cod.
The tide came in at around noon, helping to raise the stranded whales. Most were slid onto slings and towed to the center of the harbor, a New England Aquarium spokeswoman said.
Marine officials had no explanation for the beachings. Nearly 400 whales have been beached in Cape Cod towns in the last 10 years, most recently last Dec. 11 on Squaw Island near Hyannisport.
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